MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business is hosting a dynamic week of activities April 5-9 as the college combines its observance of financial literacy and business ethics weeks.

As part of the state of Tennessee’s observance of Financial Literacy Week, MTSU is hosting Atlanta Falcons linebacker and financial literacy advocate Brandon Copeland at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 8, for his “How to Catch Your Dream” presentation open to students only. Registration is required. (Click to watch a short Brandon Copeland promo video)

Brandon Copeland

Dr. Anne Anderson

Copeland, who’s now played eight seasons in the NFL, teaches a financial literacy course at his Ivy League alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated from The Wharton School and now teaches on issues from budgeting and retirement investing to buying a house versus the cost of renting to handling student-loan debt.

He was scheduled to visit campus last year, but his appearance was canceled due to the pandemic. As part of this year’s visit, students can also win a consulting “work out session” with Copeland, and students who participate in the week’s events will be able to apply for two $1,000 Ascend Financial Literacy Scholarships.

“One issue that became clear from the pandemic and the economic shutdown is that there is a strong need to learn about financial literacy and how to properly plan for our financial needs today as well as in the future,” said Anne Anderson, finance professor and Weatherford Chair of Finance. “There are events on each day of the week that will help students learn key financial principles that can help all be better prepared for a future of financial success.”

Dr. Leigh Anne Clark

Mila Grigg

Leigh Anne Clark, professor of management and Tolbert Faculty Fellow of Business Ethics, is coordinating events for the Tom and Martha Boyd Ethical Leadership Week.

The week will include local business leaders giving virtual and in-person talks to Jones College of Business students about the importance of ethical leaders.

The virtual keynote for the week will be given at 11:20 a.m. Thursday, April 8, via Zoom by branding consultant Mila Grigg, founder/CEO of Moda Image and Brand Consulting. Her presentation is titled “Building and Sharing the Authentic You.”

Grigg will explore the importance of understanding your “why” and establishing your personal brand based on core values including integrity and truth.

“Employers consistently tell us that students need to develop their critical thinking and decision-making skills. To help our students develop these skills, we have developed the Jones College Guidance for Ethical Decision-Making and are focusing on the truth and integrity criteria this year,” said Clark. “Mila Grigg’s keynote will challenge students to identify who they are and stress the importance of making decisions consistent with those core beliefs and values. Those decisions include how we spend our time and money.”

For more information, contact Anderson at Anne.Anderson@mtsu.edu, Clark at laclark@mtsu.edu or visit https://mtsu.edu/econfin/tnfinlitweek.php for the complete calendar for the week and registration information.

— Jimmy Hart (Jimmy.Hart@mtsu.edu)